Sixers' Brown: Carter-Williams will one day run the team

Sixers guard Michael Carter-Williams reacts in the closing minutes of their 103-95 loss to the Hawks Monday. Coach Brett Brown says he understands the heavy toll this season is taking on the talented rookie. (AP Photo/Jason Getz)

Michael Carter-Williams’ job description is lengthy, and that has led to mistake-prone play. But 76ers coach Brett Brown has no plan to do anything differently with his 22-year-old point guard.

The rookie, at times, has been asked to do too much. Friday night, against Carter-Williams’ hometown Boston Celtics, Brown wanted the kid to handle but one duty.

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“Come out and be a point guard,” Brown said.

Worn down by the grind of his first NBA season, one that’s featured three injuries, Carter-Williams’ struggles also can be attributed to taking on more and more responsibilities. But on this team, which was stripped of its three top players at the trade deadline, and in this season, during which losing carries more value than winning, the floor has belonged to Carter-Williams.

It won’t always be that way.

Reading between the lines of Brown’s dialogue with reporters Friday, it sounds like Carter-Williams’ role eventually will be refined to point guard — and only point guard.

That’s not to say Carter-Williams cannot be a valuable offensive piece for the Sixers. Bereft of sharp-shooting teammates, however, his weaknesses are more exposed. His .396 field-goal percentage and 3.7 turnovers per game rank third worst in the NBA, and his 6.2 assists per game, which lead all rookies, are only 14th best.

“I want him to … lead us,” Brown said of Carter-Williams, a Boston-area native. “He needs to be a point guard and the run the team — and he will. He’s making great strides on learning how to drive his car, our team, his offense. Tonight you’re going to see Michael in a homecoming.”

On a team with a stronger supporting cast, Carter-Williams will be able to focus more intently upon being a point guard. On a team with five fellow rookies and four second-year guys, he’s had to play beyond his years.

Brown’s advice to Carter-Williams, outside of his position on the floor, revolves around getting some sleep. Brown said he understands the toll an 82-game season can take on a player who’s more accustomed to seasons that max at 40 games.

Carter-Williams said this week that his legs have been tired, a type of fatigue that has a way of showing up in the box score. A tired lower body can prevent a player from getting his body into a shot, forcing it to miss wildly.

“It tinkers with everything, and that’s my assessment,” Brown said.

Carter-Williams isn’t sure he’d agree with his coach, citing “pretty good form” on his shot.

“It’s probably more reps than adjusting my shot,” he said. “I just want to get more consistent rotation on my shot. Not too much really needs to be changed.”

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Nerlens Noel made the trip to Beantown, but his uniform did not.

Predictably, the Sixers kept Noel on the bench for the 74th consecutive game. The rookie big man last month had tweeted the date, “4-4-14,” perhaps hinting that he’d prefer to make his NBA debut that night and in his hometown.

As Brown put it, Noel “is simply not ready, and that’s the lay of the land right now.”

The 6-11, 230-pound Noel has not played competitively, nor has he engaged in 5-on-5 scrimmaging, in the last 14 months. He tore the ACL in his left knee during his freshman season at Kentucky.

“Nerlens, as I’ve learned, is just beyond competitive. It’s the single thing I’ve fallen in love with the most,” Brown said. “His athleticism is quite incredible. His future, and his hair, are quite incredible. But his competitive spirit is beyond attractive to me.

“He’s trying. He wants to play. There are so many layers he has to get through to where we can put him in a position where we feel responsible that he can perform and not be at risk. To go through this duration that we’ve all gone through and be anything less than responsible and smart would just be shameful.”